Wagon-shaft tug



May 6 1924. 1,493,230 1 E. z. BAGGETT WAGON SHAFT TUG Filed April 16, 1923 v gwue f Patented May 6, 1924.

urrs STATES PATEN -strict;4,

ELIAS z. 'BAGGE'rT, oFwanLAddhnAnaiiia. I;

ilson-SHAF roe.

Application filed April 16,1923." Serial N10. 632,351. J

It is generally aimed to provide an eflicient and inexpensive means to overcome the liability of the shaft of a wagon striking the body of the draft animal upon the wheels of the wagon encountering an obstruction, and a construction which will maintain the shaft substantially straight ahead under all conditions to the end that the draft will be substantially direct and equalized with respect to the shaft.

Various additional objects and advantages,

' mostly servient to those stated, will appear hereinafter from a consideration of the description taken in connection with accompanying drawings.

In said drawings 1 Figure 1 is a fragmentary View, in perspeotive, illustrating the use of the improved shaft tug;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the shaft tug alone;

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of the shaft tug and Figure 4 is a substantially central longitudinal sectional View taken in the general plane of the shaft tug.

Like reference characters designate like or similar parts in the different views.

In reducing the invention to practice, .the device primarily consists of a rigid, preferably metallic stock or body 10. In order that its method of use will be clear, a wagon shaft has been shown at A and draft animal hames at B. This shaft and hames are to be taken as conventional and it is to be under stood of course that a shaft A as usual is provided at each side of the draft animal and that my improved shaft tug is employed in pairs, one at each side of the draft animals and to coact with each shaft.

Hames B usually carry a suitable bracket or loop as at 11 for parts of the harness and for instance the tugs. The body 10 is provided with a plurality of hooks at 12, preferably in spaced relation, adapted to'detaehably engage the bracket 11 as shown in Figure 1. These hooks may be of anysuitable size or shape andmay'even be supplantedby other means to detachably connect thesame to thehames. I

At the end-opposite tothehooks 12 body 10 isbifurcated' or arched as at 13, thereby providing legs 14; and 15, the latter-being longer than the former. The shaft A is adapted'to be received in thearch or bifurcation 13 and the body connected to the shaft through the medium of said arch and through the medium of a strap 16. Strap 16 may be of leather or other suitable fieXible material. Leg 15 is cut away or recessed as at 17 in order to provide a pin 18 to which the strap 16 is fastened as at 19, and in order to provlde a lug at 20 adapted to be abutted by the strap.

Leg 14: is also recessed as at 21 so that the free end of the strap 16 may be passed therethrough and cooperate: with means carried by that leg and forming abuckle. Thus a tongue 22 may be pivoted by a pin 23 to the leg lt and at its free end be adapted to pass through selected openings 24 in the strap 16. The weight and action of shaft A on the strap 16 holdsthe tongue inv fastening position in abutment with a flange 25 integral with leg 14.

In order to guide and more securely seat the strap 16, the legs 1 1 and 15 at their innor surfaces have shoulders 26 and 27, respectively, adjacent the longitudinal edges of the strap.

With the device in use as in Figure 1, having the hook 12 detachably connected to the hames or other article of harness, and the arch 13 and strap 16 buckled about the shaft A, and with both shafts of a wagon so equipped, the liability of either of the shafts, upon the wheels of the vehicle striking an obstruction, beingthrust against the body of the draft animal is prevented. Thus the shafts and wheels of the wagon will be maintained substantially straight ahead under all conditions andthe draft will be substantially direct and equalized.

As merely one embodiment has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in the details may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with a vehicle shaft and the harness of a draft animal, a substantially fiat rigid body forming an attachment and interposed between them to prevent movement of the shaft into contact with the body of the draft animal,means of detachable connection between said body and the harness at one end of the body, and means of separable connection disposed longitudinally of and as a continuation of the body between said body and the shaft.

2. A wagon shaft tug having a substan tially flat body provided with laterally extending hooks at different elevations at one end attachable to animal harness, said body adjacent its other end having a buckle attachable to a vehicle shaft and disposed longitudinally thereof and as a continuation of the body.

3. A wagonshaft tug having a body adapted to extend from animal harness, said body at one end being bifurcated to engage the wagon shaft and to form legs extending longitudinally of the body and as a continuation thereof, a strap connected to one of said legs, and a tongue carried by the other leg adapted to fasten said strap about the shaft. I

4:. A Wagon shaft tug having a body both of said legs having shoulders between which the strap is guided.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. ELIAS Z. BAGGETT.

Witnesses GEO. O. HARoLD, G. O. SAVAGE. 

